Online stores built for customers buying in India - payment methods people actually use, and the practical details that come with selling here. Platform choice depends on what you sell, so it's worth talking through.
A lot of e-commerce templates are designed around how customers buy elsewhere in the world. Selling in India brings its own set of practical questions - which payment methods to support, how invoicing should work, how orders reach your courier, and how returns are handled.
None of these are complicated on their own, but they add up, and they're much easier to get right at the start than to retrofit once you're taking real orders.
The right platform depends on your catalogue size, your margins and who's going to manage the store day to day. There's no single correct answer, which is why this is a conversation rather than a fixed package.
A general outline. What actually applies to your project is worked out together, before anything is agreed.
How many products, what variations, and how they're organised - this shapes most of what follows.
Weighing WooCommerce, Shopify or a custom build against your catalogue, margins and team.
Developing the storefront, product pages and checkout, and connecting payments.
Setting up invoicing and connecting the store to however you handle shipping.
A general comparison of how these platforms differ. Which one suits you depends on your specific situation - worth discussing before committing either way.
| WooCommerce | Shopify | Custom build | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Self-hosted, open source | Hosted subscription | Built to your requirements |
| Platform fees | No monthly platform fee | Monthly subscription | No platform fee |
| Customisation | Broad | Within platform limits | Fullest control |
| Setup effort | Moderate | Lowest | Highest |
| Where data lives | Your hosting | Platform-hosted | Your hosting |
| Often suits | Businesses wanting control | Getting started quickly | Unusual requirements |
Platform choice is worth getting right before anything gets built. Tell me what you sell and roughly how many products, and we can work out the sensible route.